Apparatus for testing seed-corn.



G. E. TWAMLBY, DEGD.

J. L. TWAMLBY, ADMINISTRATOR.

APPARATUS FOR TESTING SEED CORN.

. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29, 1910.

1,31,669. Patented July 2, 1912.

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CLARK E. TWAMLEY, OF ALEXANDRIA, SOUTH DAKOTA; JAMES L. TWAMLEY, ADMIN- ISTRATOR OF SAID CLARK E. TWAMLEY, DECEASED, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL SEED TESTER COMPANY, OF DES MOINES, IOWA, A CORPORATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA.

- APPARATUS FOR TESTING SEED-CORN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led March 29, 1910.

Patented July 2, 1912.

Serial No. 552,262.

T0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, CLARK E. TWAMLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Alexandria, in the county of Hanson and State of South Dakota, have invented a certain new and useful Apparatus for Testing Seed-Corn, of which the following is a specification.

The object. of my invention is to provide an'apparatus of simple, durable and inexpensive construction in which all of the grains of corn taken from a single ear may be readily and easily tested at the same time and the operator may, at a glance, determine the state of maturity of the grains of corn and then may readily and easily discharge all of the grains into a suitable receptacle so that those that are fully matured may be kept in one place and those at different degrees of maturity may be kept in other places and the corn that is fully matured may be planted in a separate place from the v others.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the apparatus and also 1n the method of selecting and planting the seed paratus embodying my invention, and Fig.

2 shows a vertical, transverse, sectional view of same.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate the frame of a metallic cabinet substantially rectangular in outline and pro-A vided with a supplemental bottom piece 11 and with a hinged door 12 at the back which may be opened to receive one or more lamps 13. Above the lamps are flue passageways 14 to carry the heat rearwardly and upwardly. The top of the frame is inclined downwardly and forwardly from a point near the rear. The said inclined portion of the top is indicated by the numeral 15 and the front end thereof is spaced apart from the front of the casing. The upper portion of the casing front is indicated by the numeral 16. Hinged to the top portion 16 is a frame 17 having a glass panel 18 therein with a handle 20. A spring 21 is applied to o said door to normally hold it rearwardly. In the rear of the glass paneled portion of the door is a glass plate 22 fixed in stationary' position and spaced apart from the glass 18 far enough to admit grains of corn to freely pass between them. Below the stationary glass panel 22 is a chute 28 curved downwardly and outwardly, the part 19 of the door being designed to rest against this chute.

In practical operation I first place one or more lightedlamps 13 within the casing below the draft passageway 14. I then remove all of the grains from a single ear of corn and place them together in the hopper formed in the top of the casing. A considerable proportion of these grains will flow down to position between the glass panels 18 and 22 and the operator who stands in front of the casing may then look A through both of the glass panels and 'through the grains of corn, the lamps being designed to furnish strong enough light so that the operator may see through the from the single ear to pass down and out through the chute 28 into a suitable receptacle.

I have found that grains of corn from a single ear are substantially all of the same degree of maturity and I have also found that when grains of corn are fully matured they will be translucent to such an extent that if held before a strong light the operator may clearly see the light through the corn. I have also found that when grains of corn are fully matured they will be translucent to the extent above mentioned throughout. I have also found that grains of corn taken from an ear that is not fully matured will have portions of it adjacent to the outer end of each grain that will be slightly opaque and that will present a starchy appearance, and that grains of corn that are wholly immature will be substantially opaque throughout.

use of my improved appara-tus the operator may at a glance-determine the degree of maturity ofthe grams from a single ear of corn as the degree of immaturity may be .ordinary tests for vitality. Corn may be tested for vitality by removing one or more grains of corn from an ear and then causing them to sprout. This may be done by the use of seed corn testers for vitality such, for instance, as illustrated and described in my reissued Patent No. 13,031, dated October 26, 1909. After all of the ears of corn for seed purposes have been thus` tested for vitality, I alsov test them for maturity and I do this by removing all of the grains from a single ear of corn and then holding them before a strong light and looking` through the grains, then those that are substantially transparent throughout when thus viewed are placed in a receptacle provided for the-m. Those that are partially transparent when thus tested are placed in another receptacle and those that are Wholly opaque when thus tested are placed in another receptacle. I

then plant all of the grains that are fully mature in one field or location, those that are partially mature in another field or location and those that are immature in a third field or location. By thus selecting grains and planting them in different localities, I have found that the stalks produced from said grains will all tassel out and distribute their pollen at approximately the same time and in this way each separate quantity of corn thus planted will have substantially all of the ears thereof thoroughly fertilized by the pollen from stalks of equal maturity. Without this selection of seed corn as to its maturity, I have found that when grains of corn are planted and the stalks tassel out at different periods of time many of the stalks will have their ears fertilized by pollen from stalks of different Adegrees of maturity and hence the grains will not be uniform as to size or resisting qualities to exposure. By means of my improved method the various grains of corn when considered with a view to their ma.- turity are planted together and will tassel out and produce pollen at substantially the same timethat all of the ears that are produced in the locality where the particular grade is planted will be in condition to may look through it and through the grains thereon toward a light, and means for `discharging' the vgrains from the receptacle.

2. An apparatus for testing seed corn for maturity, comprising a casing, a lamp Within the casing, a hopper designed to receive the grains from the ear of corn, a glass panel forming part of the hopper and arranged to permit the grains of corn to lie flat against it so that the operator may look through the grains of corn and the glass panel toward the light.

3. An apparatus for testing seed corn for maturity, comprising a receptacle designed to receive the grains from an ear of corn, and two glass panels adjacent to each other through which the corn must pass fromV the hopper, saidpanels being so arranged that grains of corn will lie fiat between them, for the purposes stated.

4t. An apparatus for testing seed corn for maturity, comprising a receptacle designed to receive grains from an ear of corn, and two glass panels adjacent to each other through which the corn must pass from the hopper, said panels being so arranged that grains of corn will lie Hat between them, one of said panelsl being hinged sorthat it may be opened to permit the interior contained between the panels lto flow out.n

5. An apparatus for testing seed corn for maturity, comprising a casing designed to contain a lamp, a hopper at the top of the casing, a stationary glasspanel in a substantially upright position at the bottom of the hopper, a chute at the bottom of the stationary glass panel inclined downwardly and toward the front of the cabinet,A a hinged glass panel at the bottom ofthe hopper spaced apart from the stationary glass panel 4and substantially parallel with it, the lower end of said hinged glass panel being designed to rest against the said chute to normally closethe lower end of the space between the glass panels.

6. An apparatus for testing seed corn for maturity, comprising a.v casing designed to contain a lamp, a` hopper at the topof the casing, a stationary glass panel in a substantially upright position at the bottom of the hopper, a chute at the bottom of the stationary glass panel inclined downwardly and toward the front Vof the cabinet, a hinged glass panel at the bottom of the hopper spaced apart from the stationary glass panel and substantially parallel with it, the lower end of said hinged glass panel being designed to rest against the said chute to normally close the lower end of the space between the glass panels, and a spring for yieldingly holding the hinged glass panel in its closed position.

7. An apparatus for use in testing seed corn for maturity, comprising a easing designed to contain a lamp, a heat conducting spout above the lamp, a hopper in front of the heat Conducting spout, a stationary glass panel at the lower end of the hopper in a substantially upright position, a discharge spout curved downwardly and forwardly from the lower end of the stationary panel,

a hinged frame having a glass panel therein in Jfront of the stationary panel designed to receive seed Corn from the bottom of the hopper between the glass panels in flat positions, the lower end of the hinged frame being curved downwardly and rearwardly to engage said curved spout, a handle at the lower end of the hinged frame, and a spring Jfor normally holding the hinged frame in closed position.

Des Moines, Iowa, Feb. 23, 1910.

CLARK E. TWAMLEY.

Witnesses:

MARY WALLACE, MILDRED B. GOLDIZURE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, 'by addressing the Washington, D. C.

Commissioner of Patents, 

